Improvement in fire-escapes



sheetsrsheetl J. GERARD & A. TURNBULL.

FIRE-ESCAPE. (HYDRAULIC) Patented May 8,1877.

4Sheets-Sheet Z. J. GERARD & A. TURNBULL.

FIRE-ESCAPE. (HYDRAULIC) Patented May 8,1877.

. 4SheetsSheet3. J. GE'RARID & A. TURNBULL.

FIRE-ESCAPE. (HYDRAULIC) No. 190,573. Patented May 8,1877.

N- PETERS. PNOTO-LITHDGRAPNER. WASNXNGTON, D C- LSheets-Sheet 4. J.GfiRARD & A. TURNBULL.

FIRE-ESCAPE. (HYDRAULIC) Patented May 8,1877.

UNITED S'ra'rns JOHN GERARD AND ANDREW TURNBULL, OF NEW BRITAIN,OONNEUTICU T.

IMPRO VEM ENT IN FlRE-ESCAPES, (HVDRAULIC.)

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 190,573, dated May 8,1877; application filed March 17, 1877.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, JOHN GERARD and ANDREWTURNBULL, both of New Britain, in the county of Hartford and State ofOonnecth out, have invented a new Improvement in Fire-Escapes; and we dohereby declare the following, when taken in connection with theaccompanying four sheets of drawings and the letters of reference markedthereon, to bee full, clear, and exact description of the same, andwhich said drawings constitute part of this specification, andrepresent, in

Figure 1, a side view of the apparatus in the contracted state; Fig. 4,a side View wit -the column raised; Fig. 5, a vertical-section with thecolumn extended; Fig. 6, a transverse sectional view; and in Figs. 2, 3,7, 8, and 9, detached views.

This invention relates to an improvement in the fire apparatus for whichLetters Patent were granted to these applicants May 16, 1876, the objectbeing to improve the apparatus in details of construction, and tofacilitate its operation.

The apparatus consists, essentially, of a telescopic column mounted on atruck, the column extensible by the force of water admitted therein, andcarrying a gallery upon the top for the convenience of the hoseman, andalso to serve as a means for fire-escape and the invention consists inthe construction and combination of parts, as hereinafter described, andmore particularly recited in the claims.

As in our original patent, the column A consists of several partsarranged telescopically, and supported on a truck by trunnions a.

' The truck is provided with wheels or equivalent means fortransportation. The column also has a gallery, B, substantially as inour original patent, and when the apparatus is not in use the column isturned down into a substantially horizontal position, as seen intrunnions and the bottom of the column.

Therefore, before the column is raised or seated, it is necessary toraise the trunnions, and this is done by means of a force-pump, A, whichforces water into a cylinder, A below the bearings b, and within thecylinder A is a follower, A upon which the bearings I) rest, or are madea part of, so that, thus forcing water into the cylinders A thetrunnions will be raised the required distance, and when so raised thecolumn may be turned up into the vertical position seen in Fig. 4. Acommunication is made from the pump to the cylinder underboth trunnions,so that they rise accordingly.

In order to brace or support the truck to make a firm foundation for thecolumn, the truck-frame is provided with several inclined tubes, D-maybe more or less in numberthe inclination being downward from thecarriage. One of these is shown enlarged in Fig. 3. In each of thesetubes a brace, D is arranged to slide freely within the tube. The tubesare all connected to a hose coupling, D so that a hose applied to thatcoupling will force water into all the tubes D around and above the endof the braces D At the lower end these braces fit closely the tube, andmay be packed, if desirable, and the lower end of each tube is providedwith a nut, D which will contract a clamping-ring, d, upon the braces Dso as to hold them firmly in any desired position.

When it is desired to brace the carriage, these clamping devices areloosened, and the water admitted to the several tubes, which will forceout the braces firmly against the earth, and when they have come to abearing they are clamped, so as to hold them in that position, and thusfirmly and securely brace the truck.

In some cases it will be impossible to set the truck perfectly level;hence the column would incline accordingly, were it not for anadjustable seat. To provide this adjustable seat, a disk, 0 is arrangedon the seat G, and attached thereto by aneccentric stud, c, and on thebottom of the column a corresponding disk, 0 is attached to the columnby a corresponding stud, e. The two disks have a central or concentricconnection, a",

rrrcn,

when set together, as seen in Figs. 5, 6, 7, and 8. When the column isfirst raised and seated, as in Fig. 4, the disks G and (3 are turneduntil the column is brought into a vertical position.

Connection is made with the supply-hose at the bottom, as through acoupling, E, and water admitted to raise the column, as in our originalpatent, or otherwise, and when raised to the desired elevation thesupply to the inside is cut 011'. This is best done by an invention madeby Andrew Turnbull, one of these applicants, which admits the supplythrough a vertical telescopic tube within the column to a valvearrangement in the gallery, by the turning of which the water may bethrown into the column to raise it, or outward for discharge, or toallow the water to pass from the column to lower the gallery. or to stopthe flow in either direction.

As a convenience for mounting the column, and also to form the bridge asa fire-escape, the ladder F is hung to the gallery, (shown enlarged inFig. 9,) the steps of which, when the column is first raised, as in Fig.4, serve as a convenient means for mounting the gallery; and for thepurpose of throwing up the bridge, as for a fire-escape, arms F are hungto a downward projection, F from the gallery, and from the outer ends ofthese arms chains or cords f extend up around carrying-pulleys to a drumor windlass, F so that the men in the gallery, by turning the Windlass,may raise the ladder to a horizontal position, as seen in Figs. 4 and 5,or to any desirable angle of elevation.

To make a floor for the bridge, the steps 9 are each hinged to the sidesF of the ladder, as seen in Fig. 9, and so that, when the ladder is usedto mount the column, the steps will fall against a stop into ahorizontal position; but when raised for the bridge they are turnedtoward the gallery, as indicated in broken lines, Fig. 9, and as seen inFig. 5.

In order that the bridge may be turned to any point in a horizontalplane, the gallery is hung on the top of the column, as seen in Fig.5,the column forming a central bearing, around which the gallery may turn,and with it carry the ladder.

We claim- 1. In a fire apparatus, consisting of at telescopic columncarrying a gallery at the top,

and mounted on a truck, the brace-tubes D, combined with the adjustablebraces D substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. In a fire apparatus, consisting of a telescopic column carrying agallery at the top, and mounted on a truck,.the brace-tubes D, combinedwith the adjustable braces D and a clamping device to secure the braces,substantially as described.

3. In a fire apparatus, consisting of a telescopic column carrying agallery at the top, and mounted on trunnions, so that the said columnmay be turned into a substantially horizontal position, the combination,with the said trunnions, of vertically-movable bearings, with a followerarranged in vertical cylinders beneath, and means, substantially such asdescribed, for forcing water into the said cylinders, substantially asand for the purpose specified.

4. In a fire apparatus, consisting of a telescopic column carrying agallery at the top, and mounted on a truck, the combination, with thesaid column and truck, of the two disks G 0 eccentrically hungrespectively to the base and to the bottom of the column, andconcentrically connected for the vertical adjustment of the column,substantially as described.

5. In a fire apparatus, consisting of a telescopic column carrying agallery at the top,

and mounted on a truck, the combination of the gallery and a ladderhinged thereto, and means, substantially such as described, foradjusting the elevation of the ladder relative to the plane of thegallery, substantially as described.

6. In a fire apparatus, consisting of a telescopic column carrying agallery at the top, and mounted on a truck, the combination of thegallery and a ladder hinged thereto, and means, substantially such asdescribed, for adjusting the elevation of the ladder relative to theplane of the gallery, and the steps of the said ladder hinged betweenthe sides of the ladder, substantially as and for the purpose described.

JOHN GERARD. ANDREW TURNBULL. Witnesses:

JOHN E. EARLE, CLARA BROUGHTON.

